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Elected president only to see the nation fracture in two, Abraham Lincoln led a confused and frightened people through the most terrible war in their history. At the same time, his own household mirrored the fissures that rent the nation: the great emancipator was married to the daughter of a slave owner from Kentucky. Mary Todd Lincoln was an aristocratic southerner who met Lincoln when he was still a backwoods politician lacking in experience and sophistication. Although she remained fiercely loyal to her husband and the Union cause, two of her brothers fought for the South. Their marriage was long and turbulent, and knew many trials, including the loss of two children. This series weaves together the lives of the two Lincolns drawing us into their long-vanished world.

Abraham Lincoln was a dirt farmer's son and Mary Todd was the daughter of Kentucky slave owners. Together, they ascended to the pinnacle of power at the most difficult time in the nation's history.
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Abraham Lincoln was a dirt farmer's son and Mary Todd was the daughter of Kentucky slave owners. Together, they ascended to the pinnacle of power at the most difficult time in the nation's history.
00:31

Abraham Lincoln was a dirt farmer's son and Mary Todd was the daughter of Kentucky slave owners. Together, they ascended to the pinnacle of power at the most difficult time in the nation's history.
00:31